A Good Man In A Storm
by MagicallyChallenged
Summary: Callie/ Arizona Fluff couldnt turn to more if requested.


**Okay so uh, this is my first Greys fic. During the hiatus of Glee I went in search of a ship that would fulfil the void in me created by Ryan Murphy and I found it in the form of Arizona and Callie. So uh, I hope you enjoy, and reviews are appreciated. P.S I know this is short, but if you would like to read more, I'd love to write it, let me know. X**

**Dedication: This is quite simply a thank you to the two people who put up with me on a daily or nightly basis, thanks to Calliegh4ever and to Iris, who seriously is my Demi God, no question about it.**

**A Good Man In A Storm**

Six months had passed by in the blink of an eye, recoveries had happened, miracles witnessed and things began to feel almost normal… but the fear lingered. It remained; safely nestled in the cracks of blemished surfaces, buried deep in the pores of loves insecurities, worries and broken hearts. Life had changed, life had altered dramatically, and the four walls that once represented safety now told a tale of the complete opposite. Even the weather had changed, outside the leaves fell from the trees, covering the city in a warm, thick blanket of crunchy tan and ochre and as the Seattle winds blew them into a dance of compliance and fluidity they gave in to the day and moved.

Inside, away from the whirlwinds of leaves and life, Arizona lay in the warm embrace of someone who had quickly become her someone, her safe haven… her good man in a storm. She lay awake, her blonde locks washing over the caramel skin of the arms wrapped around her, the arms that held her every night, that soothed her when she needed it most. It was during the days after the incident that she realised the true power of those arms, she had come to realise that Callie, was all about fixing the broken and it had taken a long time but she had done a fantastic job of fixing her. It had taken many nights of tears, of opting out of work related social events, or avoiding spending any extra time in the place she felt least comfortable, but once she crossed the threshold of the apartment, their apartment, and crawled between the fresh, white cotton linens and let her head fall to the chest of the one person who could fix her, she knew everything would be okay.

For a few weeks she had suffered small panic attacks as the night terrors she thought she had left in her childhood bean to resurface, her adult psyche replacing the boogeyman with the slim, angry face of the gunman, his eyes filled with terror etching themselves firmly in her mind and causing her unease each and every time she closed her eyes. Each and every time she had woken in flood of tears, Callie had been awake to dry them, each time she could barely catch her breath it was the simple act of staring into the deep brown orbs of her lover that calmed her instantly and the nights that were just too much, those where the nights she felt the warmth of a loving relationship as Callies' hold on her never ceased. Her caramel arms, holding the blonde to her chest, her lips lovingly kissing the top of her head before easing her to sleep with a lullaby of promises she intended to keep.

'_Everything will be alright'_

She would repeat this mantra until she felt the rapid breaths slow to a pace that matched her own, taking a moment to admire the beauty of the woman in her arms before giving in to exhaustion and slipping into her own semiconscious state.

Arizona never knew of the moments late at night where she would be the object of a lovers gaze that knew no imperfections, that watched in wonderment as she slept, her dark brown eyes filled with tears of happiness that she could never allow to fall during the waking moments. She never knew that Callie let herself fall apart only after she had drifted off to sleep because she knew there was no use in them both breaking during the day. As a Latina woman she was strong, and protective of what she loved, and she knew that Arizona needed to feel safe, now that their sanctuary had been destroyed, she needed to provide something safe, and the home and relationship they shared had become just that.

They had changed as people after the event, somehow a dramatic change had occurred without concerns for its repercussions, Callie no longer slept in the on call room, or hung around after hours waiting to find a juicy surgery. She took simple pleasures in doing her job, but sometimes seemed reluctant to get to know her patient, she found it hard to trust people anymore and being away from the one person in the world she lived for made it hard to concentrate sometimes. Arizona, she had too been affected deeply, her smiles were forced and even her heartfelt ones were hesitant to appear or stay longer than a quick second. Gone were the days of hide and seek she would play, searching every nook and cranny of a room before, to her patients delight, exclaiming with a hint of excitement that she had discovered their whereabouts. Now she barely found time to look under the bed before pulling back the covers in mock surprise and proceeding with rounds, but the biggest change, the one that signalled to Callie that she was still deeply affected were the white wheeled sneakers that remained in her locker every day. Those sneakers cried out for the smooth pleasures of the children's ward, instead they remained static, a stiffness returning like they only ever felt while sitting on display in the store. To their left a pink skullcap lay, discarded and unwanted like a childhood dream dashed before it even had a chance to grow roots, these days Arizona opted for the traditional dark blue skull cap, and while Callie would agree she looked beautiful in any colour, she longed to see the return of the childish tones of cotton candy sitting atop her lovers carefree blonde curls.

She knew it would take some time, and she knew she had to be patient but something has caused a shift in balance and after months of letting it burn a hole in her bedside cabinet, Callie found the courage she needed to ask Arizona to make a change. To open her heart completely, and give every last part of her away, she asked her to open herself up to love, and most of all open herself up not being the only one who got to make a decision about her life. She knew of Arizona's dislike of surprises and keen to avoid tears of the sad variety she washed all thoughts of doing in this in a public setting, out of her mind and in the dead of night, as they lay together on the sofa, clad in their woollen pyjamas and footsy socks, a drink of red wine in each of their hands as Julia Roberts tied up her sneakers one final time she did it. She looked down into the aqua blue eyes of the woman who had been almost sleeping on her chest not moments ago and she pleaded.

'Please don't run from me…'

Arizona lifted her head from Callies chest, a confused look adorning her face as her brows furrowed in that cute way Callie had come to love. She shook her head, asking without words for an explanation and as Callie took a deep breath and blew it out she knew there was no turning back. She reached behind the sofa cushion and pulled out a deep red box, watching as Arizona's eyes widened to the size of quarters and her mouth dropped open instantly.

'... I've been wanting this for a while now, and with everything that has happened I realise how lucky I am to have you in my life. I understand if this is too much, I know we still haven't talked everything out and we're still a little fuzzy on the whole baby issue, but I need you to promise me you won't run, I need you to still be here every morning when I wake up, and if you're not, I need to know that you'll be here when I come home…' she saw the blondes face relax a little, the corners of her mouth turning upwards slightly as she closed her mouth and chewed on her bottom lip. '… What I'm trying to say…What I'm asking, is uh, is will you be my forever?' these last words fell from her lips almost in slow motion, Arizona's eyes focused on each movement and shape her lovers mouth made, her breathing increasing and her hands starting to shake. She took in a deep breath, before exhaling slowly, taking a moment to allow her thoughts to gather, taking a moment to weigh up her options, to make a decision. She closed her eyes momentarily, her hands moving to Callies, taking them and interlocking their fingers in a way that make Callies heart sink her breathe catching and refusing to expel itself, but the moment that blue met muddy brown and they realised that the tears that fell were happy ones, Callie allowed herself to breathe. Arizona shook her head, thumbing at the deep red velvet box, her head lowering, eyes stealing away from the powerful gaze the two of them shared. She shut her eyes really tight, her blonde hair falling in front of her face, hiding all emotions, giving nothing away and again Callie felt like she had lost, like this was something she was not good enough to have, that this level of happiness was something she didn't deserve, and then she heard the faintest whisper. She heard a sniffle followed by the faintest whisper of three words that could have spun the darkest of nights into the brightest of days, she heard these words repeated again, and again, and Arizona lifted her head, tears rolling down her porcelain face she smiled, looked into the eyes of her everything and nodded before declaring those words once more.

'Forever… sounds amazing'


End file.
